Techniques of inserting prerecorded spot messages into broadcast transmissions have been known. For example, advertising insertion systems for television broadcasts include a plurality of video tape players which contain video tapes bearing commercial messages and control means for selecting prerecorded commercial messages from the plurality of video tape players. U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,491 to Lambert discloses such an ad insertion system.
Since video tape machines usually retrieve or set-up the next spot message during the transmission of a local or remote scheduled program or of the preceding spot message, video tape systems require either a special editing step to prepare the desired series of messages in a recorded sequence or a plurality of video tape machines to transmit a series of spot messages out of the recorded sequence from separate video tapes. Specifically, a video tape machine pre-positions one spot message or recorded series of spot messages at a time and requires a substantial period of time to do so. Accordingly, a plurality of video tape machines, each containing the same recorded sequence of commercial messages, is commonly used to transmit successively a series of commercial messages out of their recorded sequence. Otherwise a substantial time delay would occur between each scheduled spot message of a series while the single video tape machine advances or rewinds to the next scheduled commercial message.
Video tape machine insertion systems require time before each spot message to position (advance or rewind) the tapes so that desired spot messages can be accessed for transmission at the appropriate time when transmitted out of the recorded sequence. Even with this set-up time, video tape machines are, at best, .+-.3-5 frames off from the lead frame. To compensate for this approximate frame accuracy, video tape systems conventionally include a number of black frames before and after each spot message or recorded series of spot messages in the master tape. A special editing process is necessary to record the black signals on the tape.
Moreover, this system requires the video tapes to be repeatedly stopped, advanced and rewound in order to set-up and then play selected commercial messages. This repeated play of tapes causes them to stretch, break and wear out, thus necessitating additional back-up tapes and the presence of operating personnel to maintain the quality of the video broadcast, and to ensure continued broadcast of the commercial message schedule.
Mention has been made of an ad insertion system which may include laser disk players in "The Ad Machine" brochure of Tele-Engineering Corp. This ad insertion system employs at least two players (preferably, video tape machines) and a random access controller to cue-up and play spot messages. One master tape is required, and each player accesses spot messages from a duplicate of the master tape.
Conventional ad insertion systems and methods commonly rely upon advertiser supplied commercial messages which are filmed at a studio and then are edited into a master video tape which contains a plurality of such commercial messages. Each advertiser-supplied commercial message is commonly produced for a particular advertiser and may include the services of an advertising agency, film crew and actors, in addition to the expense of actually producing and editing the finished commercial message. Local advertisers cannot usually afford the production cost of these live action messages, and thus these spot messages are not readily available to local advertisers. While still-frame commercials (i.e., motionless video with accompanying audio) are known, this type of advertising is often ineffective in generating consumer interest in the promoted product. There still exists a need in the broadcast industry for inexpensive and effective full-motion commercials or spot messages and a reliable ad insertion system.